New Muse Video Sparks Controversy

04/24/2013.

(Radio.com) Muse inadvertently ignited a firestorm of controversy on Monday (April 22) with their new music video, "Panic Station." The clip features an image of the Japanese Rising Sun flag, which is commonly associated with that country's imperialistic history.

The surreal and colorful video shows Muse running around the city of Tokyo in wild outfits, interspersed with shots of the band performing their latest single in Tokyo's famous Robot Restaurant alongside animatronic dinosaurs and a purple fuzzy octopus.

The clip caused controversy with its original title shot, which depicted the Rising Sun flag coming up behind the city's skyline, causing many offended fans to comment on the flag's connection to Japan's imperialist past. In order to contextualize the argument, some compared the image to the Confederate "rebel" flag of the American South. See a screen shot of the image and the video here.

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